Hiiii! Happy Sunday guys! WiFi on my flight from South Korea to Hanoi now! #soproductive but excited to share this post.

I've got another cheap and easy way to do good for your body and I am OBSESSED with it.

So much that I just want to get straight to into this, because it's the best thing that's ever happened to me besides spray tanning.

TRULY.

I've written about working out and fitness, various classes that I take but, I workout probably 6 days a week, sometimes twice a day. Why am I not thinner you ask? I don't know. But anyways back to the discussion...

So between spinning, crossfit, pilates (mega reformers are BIATCH), boxing, and yoga, I probably never stretch. Maybe once a week or when I'm standing in line somewhere just to make people feel really uncomfortable - hehe.

Stretching is truly one of the greatest things we can do for our bodies, especially if we work out. Massage is up there too.

But foam rolling, may be the best thing ever. Based on how effective, easy and cheap it is.

It is THE BEST way to provide therapeutic relief to your muscles.

When you foam roll you are basically massaging out your muscles and all the 'fascia' that covers them tightly and essentially holds them together under the skin. After foam rolling, a release happens, where you relax and really work on those tight muscles. It's basically a 'self myofascial release'. Muscle and Fitness Magazine says,

Self-myofascial release is often called the “poor man’s massage.” Myofascial release is a hands-on technique that therapists have been using for years. To achieve this release, a therapist would apply a low load, long duration dragging force across layers of soft-tissue in the body. After a period of time, through some different mechanisms in the body, the body will “release” the tissue and mobility between those sliding surfaces is restored. To make these changes on oneself, a foam roller can be used in place oftherapist’s hands. While the foam rollerwill never completely replace therapists, it serves as a great alternative.

The benefits of foam rolling:

Increased blood flow throughout the body

Better movement and increased range of motion

Decreased chance of injury

Improved recovery time after a workout (which means more time working out!)

Greater range of movement

Healthy muscle tissue

Also, not only do foam rollers help with pain, but they work for reducing the appearance of cellulite. *shudder*

Cellulite does not only affect people who are overweight. In fact, these annoying fatty deposits also affect people who are underweight, or even people at a healthy weight. So what exactly is cellulite? It’s when fat cells congregate under the skin, thus creating the dimple-like appearance above the skin. One of the main causes is poor circulation. This can be caused by a high stress lifestyle, as well as poor nutrition and of course not enough time put into stretching and recovery after workouts. Foam rollings helps to improve cell recovery and circulation plus feels great. Around 10-15 minutes per day will really help.

Convinced? Let's get to it.

How to foam roll:

Make sure to wear clothes that won't continue to get caught on the roller when you roll, tight workout clothes are best.

Use this guide (click here) to see which rolling techniques work for which area of the body. But what's nice about foam rolling is that you can really go with your body here. If you feel a bit sore in a certain area, roll there, and slowly stay for a minute or two. Let the muscle release fully, roll a bit more and continue all over where any pain arises.

Before you roll on the sensitive area, roll on an indirect spot first & then roll on the direct spot of pain. Then you want to foam roll on the sensitive area for 20 to 30 seconds (or until the muscle starts to relax).

When to foam roll:

Daily. For at least 5 minutes a day.

For me, I like to foam roll most after a workout or before bed, to prevent or help with future soreness. Foam rolling requires a bit of daily dedication but comes with some amazing, and worth-it results.

It's really helped me personally with recovery, so I can workout as much as I do and soreness stays at bay. It's so quick and easy, I almost always do it at home.

Although you guys may confuse me with a real medical doctor, I'd suggest reading this article on foam rolling mistakes to avoid: don’t roll too fast, don’t roll too long, & NEVER use it on your lower back.